After the War
by Miss Magic 101
Summary: The Final Battle is raging around them and Luna and Neville realise they can't be without each other. After confessing their feelings to each other their relationship blossoms. Follow them through their relationship as they discover true love and the meaning of happiness. **Rating may change at a later date**
1. The Battle of Hogwarts

**Hi everyone! This is my new story, which would not rest until it was on paper. I'm a big fan of NevillexLuna, I always thought they should have ended up together, so this is my take on it.**

**I know some things don't happen in the same order here as they do in the book/film but my most important thing was Neville and Luna and their relationship, so just stick with it.**

**I have another chapter nearly ready to upload if you like this story**

**Enjoy**

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**~ CHAPTER ONE ~**

**THE BATTLE OF HOGWARTS**

He had lost sight of her and didn't know what to do. The girl he loved had been beside him when the Battle had begun; when Harry had first entered Hogwarts to announce they had to find a Horcrux and destroy it. She had been beside him when Snape had fled, and she had been his main inspiration for running as fast as he had done when the bridge had been destroyed before the Death Eaters came, and now, in the heat of battle, he had lost her and was terrified he would never see her again.

Neville Longbottom had lost Luna Lovegood; he hadn't seen her in what felt like forever and he had no idea where she was or even whether she was still alive, and this was something that worried him greatly. Neville had always loved Luna, ever since he had set his eyes on her on the Hogwarts Express, when he had forgotten his own name and she had been reading The Quibbler upside down whilst wearing Spectrospecs. From that moment on they had grown closer, both content in their isolation as outcasts, as they found a friend in each other that knew exactly how the other one felt.

Neville had just seen Ron and Hermione, just saved them in fact by killing Nagini, Voldemort's snake, and inadvertently destroying a Horcrux, something which he didn't know. Ron and Hermione were holding each other like Neville wanted to hold Luna; they had obviously just discovered their love for each other, when they were surrounded by death. Seeing this triggered something inside Neville, which he didn't know was there until he killed the snake and saw Ron and Hermione together; a courage that was beyond anything he had felt in the past, and also a longing to find love and show everyone that he could be something more than someone they had laughed at in the past.

With all this in mind Neville was currently running around the castle trying to find Luna, without much success. He was still holding the Sword of Gryffindor in one hand and his wand in the other, firing random spells in the direction of Death Eaters; his brain worrying more and more about the blonde beauty who had captured his heart as time went on.

"Hey Harry!" shouted Neville over the noise around them, as he ran into Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley who were running in the opposite direction to everyone else.

"Hey Neville, heard you killed the snake, well done!" yelled Harry, shooting a curse towards Bellatrix Lestrange who was approaching the three teenagers.

"Yeah," shouted Neville, his tone sounding more excitable than he'd intended it to "listen have you seen Luna?"

"She was making her way towards the Astronomy Tower last time I saw her," bellowed Harry, as he, Neville and Ginny all sent curses rocketing towards a masked Death Eater who had a group of first years cornered "why?"

"I've got to tell her Harry," yelled Neville, smiling "I'm in love with her, mad about her, and I figure, we could be about to die, what better time to let her know?"

"Try the Astronomy Tower," called a bewildered Harry, although Neville had already turned and began to run "good luck!"

Neville left Harry and Ginny before Harry had even stopped talking; every second was crucial in finding Luna and he knew it, he had to get to the Astronomy Tower. Neville did not know if Luna was in the Astronomy Tower, but it felt like a good place to start, it was the only lead he had.

Neville ran like he had never done before; everything around him blurred and he saw nothing but Luna as his goal; that was all he could focus on. Hogwarts was falling around Neville, being torn apart by curses as people; Death Eaters and students alike succumbed to the inevitable and pointless death that war brought with it, and Neville ran past it all, lucky to avoid every curse fired in his direction. It was only when Neville reached the foot of the spiralling staircase that led to the Astronomy Tower that he was able to catch his breath for a second. However all of a sudden Neville heard the worst sound in the world; Luna's scream, a sound that ripped through him like a knife through the chest. Hearing that sound only served to make Neville worry more than he already was and caused him to bound up the stairs at such a high speed that he nearly tripped a couple of times, and seemed to cut out five steps with each stride he took. Neville was also aware that at some point during the Battle he had injured his ankle; potentially sprained it, however the pain this had once caused him had now been long forgotten, as all Neville wanted was to get to Luna.

Neville rounded the corner and entered the Astronomy Tower, terrified by what he saw in front of him. Luna was cowering, curled up on the floor, shaking, sobbing and obviously hurt; her wand nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile Amycus Carrow was towering over her, his wand raised.

"No one's coming to save you, pretty one," he leered, in a tone which made Neville's skin crawl "which means I can have some fun, Crucio!"

Luna screamed again and even in the dim light Neville could see tears streaming down her face, as his heart broke for her. The seconds after the curse had hit Luna and before Neville reacted, seemed to turn to hours both for Luna and Neville. The pain of the curse soared through Luna's veins like white-hot fire that she could not escape. She tried to focus on something other than the pain, but it was impossible, and through her bleary eyes she could see the man who would surely now become her killer, something which filled her with fear. However, at the last second as the curse hit her, but before the pain did, Luna had spotted Neville entering the Tower; she watched as his face contorted in pain as he saw her crying on the floor and being tortured, and she hoped that he had come to save her. Amycus Carrow was too preoccupied with making Luna suffer to notice Neville, and Luna hoped that this would continue and Neville would react as soon as he possibly could.

In the seconds and milliseconds that followed Neville finally seeing Luna and also after the second Cruciatus Curse hit Luna, both friends were hit with a wave of memories of each other and their friendship. The first memory that came to them both was their first meeting on the Hogwarts Express in Neville's fifth year, where he had been so struck by Luna that he had consequently forgotten his own name. It had been a simple meeting for both Luna and Neville, but even at that early stage they had noticed something in each other; a certain isolation from the rest of the world, which would ultimately bring them together in the future as friends.

Next in the barrage of memories came the Hogsmeade trip to meet Harry, Ron and Hermione to discuss what would become Dumbledore's Army. Both Luna and Neville had spent the entire day together, walked to and from the castle together in the snow, laughing and joking as they both had difficulty keeping their balance, and also as everyone else walked past them giving them strange looks, as they usually did. Neville had brought Luna a butterbeer from The Three Broomsticks and they had talked for ages, just getting to know each other better. Neville had never had much money; he and his grandmother had never really had a regular income, but he knew about manners, manners cost him nothing, and he had always been taught that men should buy drinks for women, which is why he had brought Luna a butterbeer, something which she had greatly appreciated at the time, and even now. Neville and Luna had even looked around the shops together and they had been some of the first people to sign up to Dumbledore's Army, knowing not only that it meant they were learning to defend themselves, but also that it meant they would be able to spend more time together. Neville and Luna had both been struck by each other when they first met, however, the day they spent in Hogsmeade just confirmed to both of them that they were kindred spirits in a way because they understood each other in a way that no one else did.

After this, there followed the memories of the meetings with the rest of Dumbledore's Army. Luna and Neville always ended up partnering together, partly because no one else wanted to work with them, but also because they just liked spending time with each other. Luna had been there the first time Neville had successfully Disarmed someone and she had been the first to congratulate him. Neville had been the first to see Luna's Patronus take the form of a hare, and more often than not they had stayed behind at the end of the Dumbledore's Army meetings, practicing more and sometimes just talking. It was this that inspired the next memory that hit the friends during the seemingly endless milliseconds which they were apart. Not long after Christmas during Neville's fifth and Luna's fourth year, they had both stayed being after another meeting of Dumbledore's Army, initially to practice Stunning spells. They had both Stunned each other during the meeting and Neville had helped Luna up and made sure she was all right, much like he did during their extended practice session. However, soon they both could not concentrate on the spells and simply settled on the cushions on the floor, just talking.

They had talked for hours, until the early morning sun had flowed through the small windows, just getting to know each other and in the end telling each other things that no one else knew about them. Neville had told Luna about his parents Frank and Alice Longbottom and how they had been tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange, and Luna had in turn told Neville about her mum, who had died whilst experimenting with spells when Luna was nine. There had been a few tears shed by both of the friends that night, but they had in turn comforted each other and also managed to talk about things that made them happy as well. As the sun hit their faces, Neville and Luna only then became aware of the time, but still, they both seemed unwilling to leave each other, given all the personal secrets they had just shared. Instead of leaving her, Neville had accompanied Luna down to the edge of the Forbidden Forest as she fed the Thestrals, again they had talked; their only audience being the Thestrals which they had both always been able to see, before they both walked up to the castle together, finally leaving each other's company after sharing a long hug and a few more kind words.

The night of the Battle of the Department of Mysteries was the next momentary memory flash in the milliseconds that followed the Cruciatus Curse hitting Luna. Neville had tried to protect Luna that night; but instead they had both been dragged to Professor Umbridge's office along with Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Somehow they had ended up deciding to go to the Department of Mysteries and flying there on Thestrals. They had met the Death Eaters there and battled together, both of them protecting the other and mercifully both ending up with only minor injuries on that night where they had been surrounded by death for the first time in a long time. They had spent the night in the hospital wing, separated from Ron and Hermione who had far more serious injuries and so needed monitoring more closely. Both Neville and Luna couldn't sleep, and soon enough they were both sat together on Neville's bed, just talking, confiding their fears about the upcoming war to each other, sharing their experiences of the night they had just experienced and also reassuring each other that in the end everything would be all right. Eventually, Neville remembered how Luna had fallen asleep in a very odd position on the end of his bed and he did not have the heart to wake her until the next morning, when once again they had sat talking.

Luna and Neville had once again met on the Hogwarts Express in September, and that year had brought more moments where they had cemented their friendship and also their feelings for one another. They had spent time together at Professor Slughorn's Christmas party where Neville was a waiter and Luna had accompanied Harry until he had disappeared mysteriously, leaving her to talk to Neville, which of course she didn't mind. They had worried together about Harry, after he and Dumbledore had disappeared and they had both been some of the first students to see Dumbledore's body after he had been killed by Professor Snape. Luna had cried upon seeing Dumbledore's body; even Neville had tears in his eyes, but he still held Luna in his arms, remaining strong for her, as it became clear to all of them that Hogwarts would never be the same again. Luna and Neville had attended Dumbledore's funeral together, and this was the next memory they saw. They remembered how they had sat together, and how Neville had held Luna's hand in his own larger one in an effort to comfort her. They had both been slightly bashful about this at first but had soon relaxed and were both glad of the company and comfort.

Neville's seventh year brought no Harry, Ron or Hermione, and these were the memories that hit Neville and Luna next. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff all amalgamated together into one house, all against Slytherin and the Death Eaters who had taken over the school. This had worked out well for Neville and Luna as it meant they were spending more time together and also that they had been able to reform Dumbledore's Army to help students be able to defend themselves. Both Neville and Luna were hit by memories of that year, both good and bad, including lessons with the Carrow siblings where Neville and Luna had refused to practice the Cruciatus Curse on first years and people in detention, and had both been punished for it. Both of them ended up with a black eye, despite Neville's best attempts to protect Luna and take the punishment for her, but they had looked after each other, been each other's source of strength in an increasingly scary environment. The next memory that hit Neville and Luna was Luna getting taken to Malfoy Manor; Neville remembered hearing Luna screaming as the Death Eaters dragged her away, as he knew there was nothing he could do without risking harming Luna further; he tried to run after her but he was just hit by a curse stopping him from leaving the Hogwarts grounds. The days and weeks without Luna went slowly, but Neville remembered getting a message from her one day telling him she was fine and that she would be back soon. Sure enough, next Neville was greeted by a memory of a girl with long, dirty blonde hair entering Hogwarts once again. Neville had been in the Great Hall with the rest of the school at the time and suddenly the door opened; no one was ever late for meals now so the whole school turned around in curiosity. Neville spotted Luna and they ran for each other, both oblivious to the shocked faces of everyone around them as Neville reached Luna first and they both threw their arms around each other; Neville lifting Luna off her feet slightly as he whispered into her hair how glad he was she was all right. Neville remembered how close he had been to telling Luna how he felt then, but something had stopped him, it just didn't feel right, especially as he and Luna had had to run out of the Great Hall pretty quickly after their greeting, as they had managed to annoy the Carrows; however Neville did remember a slight smile gracing Professor McGonagall's face when she saw them both.

That was the last memory which materialised itself in the seconds during which Luna screamed as the Cruciatus Curse coursed through her veins, and Neville was brought back to reality with a jolt. In reality, the memories had only lasted a second or two at most but to both Neville and Luna it had felt like an eternity, filled with both pain and uncertainty. All Neville knew once he was back in reality was that he had to save Luna; Amycus Carrow was not going to stop torturing her, and he could not lose another person to the Cruciatus Curse as he had done his parents, he would not let it happen. With that in mind, Neville took a deep breath to calm himself and raised his wand as he quietly stepped forward.

"Expelliarmus!" he shouted.

Amycus Carrow did not have time to react as he wand flew out of his raised hand, therefore breaking the Curse that had overcome Luna, who simply crumpled to the floor in tears. Amycus Carrow turned around, his eyes red, blazing with fury as he regarded Neville, who matched his angry expression, as he leapt and caught the wand before his opponent could do so.

"You!" roared Carrow fiercely.

"Yeah me," said Neville in a strong, confident voice, which he hoped did not betray how scared he genuinely was "step away from Luna or I will hex you into oblivion."

"You won't," sneered Amycus, stepping closer to Neville in a threatening manner "you don't have the bottle."

"I would," said Neville fiercely, matching the former Professor's step with his own as they both began slowly circling the room with Neville inching his way closer to Luna until he was stood in front of her "your quarrel has always been with me, not Luna."

"Give me my wand Longbottom!" shouted Carrow, anger getting the better of him.

"No," said Neville simply "although I have wanted to do this for a very long time. Stupefy!"

Neville used both wands to conjure the Stunning Spells, both of which hit Amycus Carrow directly in the chest before he could even flinch or attempt to defend himself. As the spells hit, the Death Eater was thrown backwards with unbelievable force, so much so that he was thrown into a wall with a resounding _bang! _before he hit the floor, crumpling into a pathetic heap; which was something that gave Neville great satisfaction, especially given what Amycus Carrow had done to Luna.

Neville glanced quickly back at Luna who watched him from her position on the floor with big grey eyes full of tears. Neville wanted to make sure Amycus Carrow was incapacitated before he spent time looking after Luna, simply because this was the safest thing to do, but he could not leave Luna when she looked as vulnerable as she did at the moment. Therefore Neville walked backwards towards her, never taking his eyes off the motionless figure on the other side of the Astronomy Tower, before kneeling down next to her and taking her hand in his.

"I'm not going anywhere," he whispered to Luna, in his Northern accent, which she found to be very therapeutic and reassuring "I'm just going to go and make sure he won't bother you again then I'll come back to you all right?"

Luna nodded and Neville smiled before gently squeezing her hand and getting up, crossing the circular room until he was closer to Amycus Carrow, who still hadn't stirred from the double Stunning spells which hit him. Despite this, Neville did not want to take chances; he knew how dangerous the Carrows could be, he had experienced it firsthand. As a result of this, Neville knew he had to incapacitate Amycus further, to give him more time to make sure Luna was all right.

"Petrificus Totalus!" called Neville, using both wands to cast dual spells, as he had done before.

Neville watched as the already motionless figure of Amycus Carrow was overcome by the Body Bind Curse. Neville knew the Death Eater was only Stunned and locked into a frozen position, but it still scared him the power he had over the former Professor on the floor before him. Despite this initial fear about the power the wands gave him, Neville knew he wasn't going to use the Unforgiveable Curses on the Death Eater, as this would be an insult to what his parents and Luna had been through. However, Neville knew that he had to incapacitate Amycus Carrow further, so that he could spend as much time as possible caring for Luna.

"Incarcerous," said Neville calmly, using both wands once again.

Ropes erupted from both wands, and Neville slowly guided them until they had wrapped themselves around the still form of Amycus Carrow, making sure that he would not be able to move for the near future; although Neville was still going to keep hold of both wands just in case the curses wore off quicker than he expected. With the Death Eater lying on the floor, Stunned, frozen into an uncomfortable position and tied up, Neville felt confident enough to turn his back on his opponent as he ran back to Luna, who also hadn't moved from the position she had been in earlier.

"Luna?" questioned Neville kindly as he knelt down beside her crumpled form on the floor of the Astronomy Tower.

"N-Neville?" asked Luna, her dreamy voice shaking with tears and fear, as she tried to raise herself up into a sitting position and gasped in pain "is that you?"

"Of course it's me," said Neville gently "I'm so glad you recognise me! I thought I'd lost you like I did my parents. How long had he been doing that to you?"

"I don't know," said Luna, sounding very vulnerable as she tried to sit up again and whimpered in pain.

"Don't try and move too suddenly," said Neville calmly, as he moved some of Luna's hair out of her eyes "I'll help you, but first you need a wand, where's yours?"

"He broke it," whispered Luna, fresh tears falling down her cheeks "it was my mother's and he broke it."

"I'm so sorry," said Neville, wiping a stray tear away from Luna's cheeks, glad that she didn't flinch away from him "we'll get you another one. I know that doesn't really help though, but it's the best I can do at the moment."

"Thank you," whispered Luna "what about now though? Surely I need a wand now?"

"You do," said Neville, who hated what he had to do now "and I'm afraid the only wand I have to give you is Carrow's; it's the last wand you want, I know that, but stick with me and you shouldn't have to use it, it's just as a last resort."

"You'll look after me?" asked Luna, desperately seeking reassurance as she grasped Neville's hand.

"Of course I will," said Neville smiling gently "I don't want to lose you Luna, I've never been more scared than when I couldn't find you or when I heard you scream; I'm not going to let you go again."

"Thank you," whispered Luna, managing a small, watery smile "I'll have to find some way to repay you for saving my life."

"Seeing you smile is repayment enough," whispered Neville softly "do you want me to help you stand up? We probably do need to start thinking about moving if you can."

"Please," said Luna gratefully.

With that, Neville slowly wrapped his arm around Luna's shoulders, gently helping her to sit up, earning a few gasps of pain from the small girl next to him, which tore through him as he tried to reassure her. Eventually, with Neville's help, Luna was sitting up against a wall, with Neville kneeling in front of her, smiling slightly.

"You all right to try standing now?" asked Neville, being careful not to push Luna to do too much too fast.

"I think so," said Luna, shaking slightly "can you help me?"

Neville nodded and before Luna could attempt to get herself to her feet Neville had gently wrapped his arm underneath her knees and around her back, and slowly picked her up, earning not a gasp of pain, but one of surprise. Luna grasped Neville's shirt quickly as she felt herself being lifted off the floor and rested her head on his chest as she got used to the sensation of being in the air; something which made Neville smile to himself. Neville knew, as he adjusted Luna's feather-like weight in his arms that a few years ago he would not have been able to do this; puberty had been kind to him he knew that, he was now taller, had slimmed down a lot and was now a lot more confident in himself in both his attitude and his body, a lot of which he attributed to Luna.

"I'm going to put you down so you're standing up Luna," said Neville "I won't let go of you though until you're balanced; just grab me if you need to."

Luna nodded slightly nervously even though she trusted Neville completely as Neville gently started lowering her down again until her feet were on the ground. This felt like a very odd sensation to Luna and it took her a second to be able to put any weight on them at all, but true to his word, Neville did not let her go, he simply brought the arm that had been supporting her legs up so it was level with his other arm, and he was essentially holding her around the middle until she got used to having weight on her legs again and he knew she wasn't hurt.

"You all right now?" asked Neville worriedly, after a few seconds during which Luna seemed to have regained her balance.

"Yeah," said Luna, feeling slightly breathless at being in Neville's arms, as she had fallen in love with him a while ago "let me just try standing on my own while you're around."

Neville smiled and released Luna regretfully from his hold, immediately feeling a lot more at ease once he saw the fact she was able to stand on her own, although she did look a bit unsteady at first. Once she was steady on her feet Luna looked up at Neville who was smiling down at her; Luna had fallen for him long ago, but even she had to admit that he had grown up a lot in the years she had known him and become attractive in not only his personality, which to Luna he had been before anyway, but also his looks as well. Neville had grown taller and slimmed down, and now had big strong arms, which Luna had felt safe in, only moments ago, and he had always been kind and funny, which was something that attracted Luna to him most of all. All of a sudden Neville pulled Luna into him for a hug, being careful not to hurt her even more; something which Luna gladly returned.

"I'm so glad you're all right," Neville whispered so quietly he wasn't sure Luna had heard him, but she did.

Soon they both disengaged from the embrace, but kept hold of each other's hands. Despite the war raging below them, they suddenly didn't notice the chaos; all they saw was each other, grey eyes met green ones and their breath caught in their throats, as they could do nothing more but gaze at each other and listen to their own heartbeats, waiting for something to break the silence.

"Luna, I…" said Neville nervously, although he never broke eye contact with the girl in front of him "I…"

"Shh," said Luna dreamily, putting her finger to Neville's lips in an extraordinary move of confidence "I know Neville, I do too."

"You do?" asked Neville, the desperation and relief in his voice taking over, as he grinned happily.

"I do," confirmed Luna "but we have a war to win first, so let's leave that unfinished sentence as it is for now, I want to hear it when we're both happy, when we're both all right."

"But what if we're not all right?" said Neville sadly.

"We will be, we're through the hardest bit," said Luna confidently, making Neville believe her instantly "and then I want to hear the end of that sentence and know what would happen after."

Neville chuckled warmly and hugged Luna once again, not wanting to let her go, neither of them wanting to go back to the madness in the castle below, but knowing they had to at the same time. Neville kept hold of Luna's hand as they walked down the stairs from the Astronomy Tower together, grabbing the wands and the Sword of Gryffindor on the way. Neville did not let go of Luna at all when they got down the stairs, he couldn't bear the thought of losing her again and he just wanted to keep her as close to him as he possible could. The scene they came back to was much different to the one they had left behind; this much was immediately obvious to both Neville and Luna. Instead of curses being fired left, right and centre, instead people were gathered in little clusters, mostly surrounding bodies. Neville located Ron, Hermione and the rest of the Weasleys, noticing that they seemed to be gathered around a body as well, and it was only then that Neville noticed that there was only one Weasley Twin standing; with one ear, which meant that if Neville was correct, Fred had fallen in the Battle, which was something that filled him with anger.

All of a sudden there was a cheer which erupted from the courtyard outside. No one knew what this was, but as predicted there was a sudden rush to get out to the courtyard; led of course by Ron and Hermione, who were obviously trying to look for Harry, whom neither Neville nor Luna had seen. Neville and Luna simply followed everyone else out of the castle and into the courtyard, both limping ever so slightly and holding onto each other, partly because of the pain they were in and also because they didn't want to lose each other after their newly discovered feelings. When they got outside they were greeted by the sight of Voldemort and his Death Eaters walking towards them accompanied by Hagrid, who was tied up and carrying Harry, who looked very still, in his arms. Neville gasped as he heard Ginny scream and felt Luna lean into him, a small sob escaping her lips. Instinctively Neville wrapped his arms around her; both in an effort to cheer her up and at the same time protect her from the evil which now seemed to have taken over the world. Neville watched as Draco Malfoy walked over to the line of Death Eaters, seemingly unwillingly to join his parents and he heard Voldemort asking for people to step forward and join his ranks. All of a sudden Neville felt his legs working of their own accord, as to his own and Luna's shock he stepped forward in front of everyone else, knowing it wasn't to join Voldemort, but to take his place as someone who mattered in the world.

"Well I must say," sneered Voldemort, watching Neville limp forward "I had hoped for better, and who might you be young man?"

"Neville Longbottom," answered Neville, speaking directly to Voldemort as he looked at the laughing Death Eaters, in particular the sneering face of Bellatrix Lestrange "I'd like to say something. It doesn't matter that Harry's gone, people die every day; friends, family, yeah we lost Harry tonight, but he's still with us, in here, so is Fred, Remus, Tonks; all of them. They didn't die in vain, but you will, because you're wrong! Harry's heart did beat for us, all of us, it's not over!"

The next thing Neville knew Harry had rolled out of Hagrid's arms landed on the floor and shot a spell at Voldemort. Voldemort fought back, but he was now mortal as the Killing Curse he had hit Harry with in the forest hadn't worked and Narcissa Malfoy had lied to him, so once Harry Disarmed him and lunged for the Elder Wand, he was able to kill Voldemort with one spell, which he did. No one other than Harry would know exactly what had happened in the forest and with Narcissa Malfoy for a while yet, but the cheering of his friends and family, and knowing that Voldemort's body had hit the ground like the mortal man he had become, was enough satisfaction for Harry.

"Couldn't have done it without you Neville!" called Harry over the noise of his friends "now I think there's someone waiting for you over there."

Neville's face broke into a huge grin as he turned around, leaving Harry to run to Ginny. Neville meanwhile, saw only Luna Lovegood in his eye line and he ran to her, ignoring the now searing pain in his ankle. Soon he and Luna reached each other and like he had done earlier that year, Neville simply whisked her off her feet and pulled her into his arms for a massive hug.

"I thought you were leaving me," said Luna, speaking into Neville's shoulder, as he was a bit taller than her.

"Never!" said Neville, pulling back to look into Luna's eyes "now I believe I owe you the rest of a sentence. Luna, I love you."

"I love you too Neville," said Luna smiling hugely.

With that, Neville took the lead with a remarkably courageous move, even given everything he had just done, he captured Luna's lips with his own for their first kiss, both as individual people and as a couple at the same time. Luna's lips were soft, while Neville's were slightly chapped, however together they were a perfect match and there was none of the awkwardness that would have usually symbolised a first kiss, as they both slowly deepened it, pulling each other even closer, if that was possible. Soon they broke apart to find they were the only ones still left in the courtyard, but they didn't mind, they were just happy to have discovered their new love in the aftermath of war, and with that they walked back to the castle, hand in hand.

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**Anyway, I'll see you soon, thanks for reading!**


	2. The Longest Day

**Hi everyone! I'm back! Thank you for the lovely reviews I really appreciate them. I hope you enjoy this chapter, let me know what you think, I love reading reviews**

**Disclaimer: (because I forgot to put it on the first chapter) - I do not own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does :)**

**Enjoy!**

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**~ CHAPTER TWO ~**

**THE LONGEST DAY**

Neville and Luna entered what was left of Hogwarts, not surprised when they were greeted by a mixture of scenes, sounds and emotions; after all everyone had had a very different experience of the final battle. Some like Neville and Luna had come out of it relatively unscathed and had discovered love while they were at it, meanwhile others, like Ron and George had lost someone very dear to them and were only just beginning their hardest battle with themselves. Surrounded by such a wide variety of emotions meant that Luna and Neville were a bit unsure of where to go or where they belonged, all they knew was that they simply wanted to stay together and did not want to let each other go.

"Where do you want to go?" asked Neville, gazing at Luna, as they were both still a bit dazed from their first kiss.

"Somewhere peaceful," said Luna dreamily "just away from everything, does that sound wrong considering everyone else wants to be around each other?"

"Not at all," said Neville, squeezing Luna's hand "I was thinking the exact same thing, how about we get fixed up and then we go for a long walk?"

"Yeah, that sounds fantastic," said Luna, her voice relaxing Neville instantly as she smiled hugely; a big smile which lit up the entire room.

With that, Neville and Luna began slowly making their way towards the makeshift Hospital Wing, which now occupied a corner of what had once been the Great Hall. They supported each other as they slowly took small and painful steps forwards. As Neville and Luna stumbled forward together they were greeted by Harry, who hugged them both in turn before stepping back and watching curiously as Neville's and Luna's hands found each other again.

"Thanks you two," said Harry, appreciation evident in his voice "for everything, you're fantastic friends, the both of you; I could not have done this without you."

"No problem mate," said Neville, clapping Harry on the back "I kill snakes with a bit of peoples' souls in every weekend, did you not know?"

Both Harry and Luna laughed at this and much to Neville's surprise and happiness Luna moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his torso, hugging him to close to her as she continued to giggle. Neville simply responded by wrapping his arms around Luna and hugging her back; something which did not go unnoticed by Harry who grinned at Neville, before shaking his hand.

"Congratulations as well you two," said Harry, who seemed genuinely happy "if anyone deserves happiness it's you two, and by the way, it's about time, everyone's been saying you'd get together for years, nice one Neville, you're a lucky man."

"No I'm the lucky one," chirped Luna dreamily, before Neville could respond.

"Well congratulations anyway," said Harry, smiling as he pulled them both in for a hug before beginning to walk away.

"Hey Harry," called Neville, watching as Harry turned around "thanks for everything, although that doesn't cover the gratitude any of us have for everything you've done."

Harry smiled and simply saluted Neville and Luna before turning back in the direction of Ginny and walking towards her and the rest of the Weasleys, who were all still huddled together. Neville and Luna hobbled past them some time later, both knowing that the best thing to do was to leave them to their grief for now; they knew that Ron and Hermione would talk to them when they were ready.

Neville and Luna limped past various other people on their walk to the makeshift hospital wing, which seemed to take longer than both of them had anticipated. They noticed that they were getting a few stares from other students as they walked past them, and a few people were pointing as well. However, this was nothing new to both Neville and Luna so they simply walked straight past everyone, hand in hand; comforted by each other's presence in the aftermath of what had been a physically and emotionally exhausting night for them both. Soon Neville and Luna had reached Madame Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall who were treating all the students with minor injuries and both of the women greeted the two teenagers with a smile.

"Mr. Longbottom, Miss Lovegood," said Madame Pomfrey in a brisk but warm voice "what can we do for you?"

"I think I sprained my ankle," said Neville, sitting down on the floor, glad to take the weight of his foot at last.

"Easily fixed," said Madame Pomfrey, waving her wand over Neville's ankle, so that the swelling decreased and the pain diminished rapidly, earning a small sigh from Neville "better?"

"Loads thanks," said Neville appreciatively, as Madame Pomfrey smiled at him.

"How about you Miss Lovegood?" asked Madame Pomfrey kindly.

Neville looked at Luna who was gazing into space again as she so often did and noticed that since seeing Harry, she had suddenly become very quiet. This was not unlike Luna, Neville knew she daydreamed, it was one of the things he loved about her, but she did not have the familiar dreamy smile on her face, which usually meant she was off in her own little world; instead she looked tearful and withdrawn and this worried Neville.

"Luna?" he asked gently, taking her hand in his own, worrying that he had scared her when she jumped.

"Oh Neville it's just you," said Luna, in a quiet, vulnerable voice, which Neville had not heard before "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," said Neville, gently wrapping his arm around her "Madame Pomfrey just wants to know what happened to you."

"Oh," said Luna, sounding close to tears again, prompting Neville to gently squeeze her shoulders "he – Amycus Carrow - cornered me in the Astronomy Tower, slapped me a couple of times and then used the Cruciatus Curse on me at least twice, probably more times, I don't really remember."

Neville felt anger rise inside him at the thought of Amycus Carrow slapping Luna and using Unforgiveable Curses on her, so much so that his free hand balled into a fist and he had to take a deep, calming breath, before turning back to Luna, who looked at him through big silvery, grey eyes, desperately looking for comfort.

"Sorry," he whispered, looking deep into Luna's eyes "just the thought of anyone hurting you makes me so angry."

"It's all right," said Luna, putting her head on Neville's shoulder "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

"I'm sorry to hear about your experience Miss Lovegood," said Madame Pomfrey sympathetically "I fixed your sprained ankle while you were talking, just drink this potion, sit over here for ten minutes and then you should be all right."

"Thank you," said Luna, taking the vial of red liquid from Madame Pomfrey and drinking it in one mouthful without hesitating.

"Luna, Neville?" said Professor McGonagall all of a sudden, who had turned her attention to the two teenagers sat with her colleague "congratulations; you two will be happy together, look after each other, we all need those who are closest to us at a time like this when we're rebuilding everything we once knew."

"Thanks Professor," said Neville smiling, as he slowly helped a slightly dazed Luna to her feet "and thanks Madame Pomfrey."

"No problem Mr. Longbottom," said Madame Pomfrey, already beginning to concentrate on her next patient "just so you know, that potion is to get rid of the after-effects of the Curse, that's why she seems a bit dazed for now, but she'll be all right."

Neville smiled and turned his attention to Luna, quickly wrapping his arm around her in an effort to stop her losing her balance. Luna seemed to Neville to be clinging to him as if he was the only thing she could depend on in the world and he sensed he just needed to sit her down and reassure her that everything was going to be all right now that the War was over.

"Luna," said Neville kindly as they sat down and he pulled her to him for a hug "everything's going to be all right now, you know that don't you?"

"I know," said Luna, sounding very tearful "it's just…just you know, every time I blink I just see Carrow's face."

"He won't hurt you anymore," said Neville in what he hoped was a reassuring voice "I'll look after you, I promise."

"Thank you," whispered Luna "I love you, I'm so glad it was you that came looking for me."

"I love you too," said Neville, who couldn't keep the smile off his face as his heart skipped a beat at Luna's words.

"I think I need to get away from here," said Luna wistfully "I just feel like all my emotions have come crashing down at once."

"I know," said Neville, understanding at once "a few more minutes then we'll go on a walk around the grounds then maybe try and find somewhere quiet and get some sleep."

"That sounds good," said Luna, snuggling into Neville's hug, as he kissed her gently on the top of her head.

Neville and Luna sat like that for the next few minutes and Luna slowly began to feel much more at ease, this much definitely became evident to Neville as he held her in his arms and felt her relax against him. All of a sudden there was a commotion coming from the direction of the Astronomy Tower, including a lot of banging, shouting and even a few spells being fired.

"I thought it was over," whimpered Luna, clinging to Neville like he was the only thing in the world she could depend on once again.

"It is over," said Neville, although he felt nervous and unsure himself as he said it "no one is going to hurt you Luna; they'll have to go through me first."

All of a sudden, Amycus Carrow came stumbling round the corner, through the ruins of what was once The Great Hall. He was flanked by four Aurors, all of whom were so big, they made the once threatening Death Eater look small in comparison. Luna spotted Amycus Carrow as Neville did and Neville was not surprised when she buried her face into his shoulder for comfort, not wanting to see the Death Eater who had caused her so much pain again. Unfortunately Amycus Carrow had also spotted Luna and lunged towards her, knocking the Aurors who were guarding him off their feet. At the noise this caused, Luna looked up, her eyes full of fear and tears as she screamed, drawing the attention of a lot of people who were in the Great Hall at that time.

"You!" roared Amycus Carrow, advancing towards Luna "you thought you could escape, you were wrong!"

Neville disengaged Luna's tight grip on his and stood up, putting himself between her and Amycus Carrow; true to his word that the Death Eater would have to go through him before he could get to Luna. Carrow took another threatening step forward, trying to intimidate Neville, but Neville stood his ground, knowing that he was not going to leave Luna under any circumstances. As he glanced towards the Aurors, Neville was glad to see they were getting to their feet, two of them looking rather shaken after having hit their heads on debris as they were knocked over. However, Neville still did not let his guard down as he stood toe to toe with his former Professor, knowing that the man in front of him had always had a particular problem with Luna and Neville himself.

"Step back Carrow," said Neville in a deathly calm voice "you have no business here, you're going to Azkaban for a long time, and you deserve to as well. You've always had a problem with me and Luna, you think I haven't noticed? Well I'm not going to let you hurt her ever again and you won't intimidate me anymore either."

Neville was not surprised as Carrow's next action was to attempt to throw a punch at him, so he was well prepared as he saw the punch coming, enabling him to duck out of the way while simultaneously raising his wand, ready to defend himself and Luna for as long as he was needed.

"Stupefy!" called a dreamy voice from behind Neville suddenly, moments before a Stunning Spell hit Amycus Carrow in the chest resulting in him falling to the ground.

Neville watched as Carrow fell to the ground and the Aurors, who had now recovered from being knocked over by him, dragged the Death Eater away, ready to stand trial and almost certainly go to Azkaban for the rest of his life. Then he turned around to see Luna stood behind him, smiling a small sheepish smile and looking as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. Neville knew it had been Luna that cast the spell; she was holding the wand he had given her and was watching him as if wondering what he might say. Neville couldn't keep the shock off his face initially, but soon his face dissolved into a huge smile as he embraced Luna tightly, lifting her off the ground as he did so. Luna returned the hug enthusiastically and kept hold of Neville when he put her back on the ground.

"I'm so proud of you!" said Neville happily "what a way to overcome what he did to you."

"It just sort of happened," said Luna, who seemed a bit shocked by everything that had just happened "I just wanted to get him back for what he'd done and I saw him threatening you as well; something inside me just snapped."

"Well it was brilliant," said Neville, hugging Luna again.

"Thank you for protecting me," said Luna in a small voice, which again went back to the same vulnerable tone, which had caused Neville so much concern earlier.

"Hey it's what I'm here for," said Neville warmly, still holding Luna tightly in his arms, sensing she simply needed the comfort right now "do you want to go outside?"

Luna nodded, looking up at Neville with huge silver eyes which were filled with tears. Neville slowly broke the hug which he and Luna were currently in and was not surprised when Luna immediately grasped his hand tightly, almost as if she wanted to find any source of comfort she could and did not want to let Neville go. Neville squeezed Luna's hand with his own and did not break eye contact with her as he gently let go of her hand, only to wrap his arm around her shoulders a second later, allowing Luna to grasp his other hand at the same time. With that, Luna and Neville slowly made their way out of the ruins which were once Hogwarts, hand in hand and walking perfectly in step with each other, both lost in their own thoughts for a while. Eventually, Neville and Luna found a small, secluded piece of grass surrounded by a few trees, which was silent and tranquil when compared with the hive of activity they had just left. Neville sat down on the grass, pulling Luna with him, as he looked at the early morning sunlight just coming through the trees, only then becoming conscious that they had fought through the night.

"Talk to me Luna," said Neville, in a gentle, kind voice, not pressuring Luna at all "I can tell there's something wrong, I know you're sad, I can see it in your eyes. I know it's to do with everything that's happened in the last few hours, just tell me everything, I'm not going to leave you."

It took a few minutes for Luna to build up the confidence to be able to talk, during which time she had settled herself on the grass with Neville, sitting in between his outstretched legs with her back to his chest, leaning her weight slightly against him, holding Neville's hands as he had wrapped his arms around her. Neville was quite a bit taller than Luna, so he could comfortably see over her head to the grounds beyond, and also to look down at Luna, who was currently entwining her fingers with his own.

"I've never been more scared in my life," said Luna suddenly, her voice losing all of its usual dreaminess "I felt safe when you were with me and I remember being terrified when I watched the bridge exploding around you as you ran back, I thought you wouldn't make it and then you did and I was so happy. The next thing I knew we were all caught up in fighting and I lost you. Then he grabbed me and dragged me to the Astronomy Tower, it was almost like he sought me out over and above everyone else. He slapped me a few times and insulted me, calling me stupid, someone that no one would ever care about and telling me my mum deserved to die because she was worthless and so was I. Then he used the Cruciatus Curse on me a few times, I lost count of how many times and the next thing I remember was seeing you at the top of the Tower, then I got a load of memory flashes hit me about us which helped deal with the pain, then you were talking to me."

"You're safe now," said Neville sympathetically, squeezing Luna's hands with his own "they won't hurt you anymore."

"I know, but the memories are still there aren't they?" said Luna, a sudden sob overcoming her "the memories of all the stuff the Carrows did and the memories of the Battle as well, I can't escape those."

"I know," said Neville sadly, knowing how true Luna's statements were "that's something we both need to deal with together, but we will be there for each other every step of the way; I'm not going to leave you Luna and I think I know you won't leave me too."

"Of course I won't," said Luna confidently, as she adjusted her position in Neville's arms so she was resting on her knees and facing him, looking up at him with big shiny eyes.

"Good," said Neville happily, his face lighting up at Luna's words "which means we can work through every single bad memory together, replacing them with good ones."

Luna smiled a small, charming smile at Neville's words and accepted a hug from him gratefully as he held his arms open for her. The new couple sat like that for a minute or two in a comfortable silence, simply enjoying being with each other. All of sudden however, Neville became aware that Luna was trembling and when he gently brought her face up to look at him, he saw tears streaming down her cheeks. Neville then gently manoeuvred Luna into a more comfortable position sat in between his outstretched legs, her back to Hogwarts and her legs resting over one of Neville's, as Neville held her tightly to him.

"Shh," he whispered tenderly ""it's all right, you're safe, it's over. I love you Luna, I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you ever again."

Luna sobbed continuously for what felt like an eternity to Neville; he had seen her cry before, he had cried in front of her before, but to Neville, one of the most heartbreaking things in the world was seeing Luna upset because she was usually such a free spirit, it hurt Neville to think that anything had caused her pain.

"When all this is over I'm going to take you out, away from all this and just do something that you want to do," said Neville, rocking Luna in his arms as she cried "we'll do something that makes you happy, start replacing those bad memories with happy ones."

"He could have gone after anyone," said Luna, her voice shaking as she sobbed "Hermione, Ginny, anyone, but no he went for me, why was it always me or you he singled out for punishment?"

"I can't answer that," said Neville, looking down at a very tearful Luna, his heart cracking in the process "all I can say is I wish I'd been able to protect you better, I could cope with the punishment but you never should have had to deal with it. I remember the first night you came back with a black eye, I'd waited up for you do you remember?"

"Yeah," said Luna, managing a shaky smile at the good memory of her and Neville in the Common Room "I remember I'd told you I had detention and I remember coming back with a black eye and you just hugging me, telling me everything was going to be all right and then using some of Fred and George's cream for bruises, you were so kind to me that night, you made me smile when I felt at my lowest, when I felt like I would never smile again."

"I just remember thinking that I wasn't going anywhere until I made you smile again," said Neville "I always tried to protect you from them Luna, I'm sorry I couldn't do that earlier."

"But you did," said Luna, managing to wipe away her tears even though her voice was shaking and Neville was sure she hadn't quite finished crying yet "you came looking for me, you made the curse stop, you incapacitated Carrow and helped me get away and you've stayed with me now, I couldn't ask for any more protection from harm."

"I just hate the thought of anything hurting you at all," said Neville sadly.

"I hate the thought of anything hurting you too," said Luna, squeezing Neville's hand "but you said about replacing bad memories with happy ones, so with that logic we could say that the bad memories of today brought good memories too because we're here aren't we?"

"We are," confirmed Neville, smiling slightly as he kissed Luna, who immediately kissed him back "without this Battle tonight I never would have finally worked up the courage to tell you how I felt."

"I'm so glad you did," said Luna, who this time took the lead and kissed Neville resoundingly on the lips "I love you."

"I love you too," murmured Neville, speaking against Luna's lips as she deepened the kiss much to his surprise.

Neville and Luna kissed for a while longer, both testing what they each enjoyed and also exploring the new sensations and feelings they were now experiencing. Eventually they were both forced to break the kiss, for no other reason than their desperate need of oxygen. As Luna and Neville both took deep breaths and tried to compose themselves they both gazed at each other, amazed they in the face of war and almost certain death they had survived and found love in the process.

"I could stay here forever," said Luna dreamily as she made herself comfortable in Neville's arms once more "it's so peaceful after the madness earlier."

"I know," said Neville, tracing circles on Luna's arms as he held her close.

"Something tells me we should go back inside though, try and relax a bit," said Luna, voicing Neville's thoughts expertly.

"Maybe you're right," said Neville, slowly and regretfully standing up, before helping Luna up and putting his arm around her.

"Where do you want to go?" asked Luna, holding onto Neville tightly as they walked back to what was once a place full of magic and happiness and was now a place full of death and despair.

"I don't know," said Neville, suddenly feeling sad as he looked up at Hogwarts "I'd like to say the Gryffindor Common Room but I'm not sure if you could get in there."

"What about the Room of Requirement?" said Luna.

"Didn't Harry say there'd been a fire in there?" asked Neville

"Wouldn't that only be in that room though?" said Luna inquisitively "the Room of Requirement itself should be all right, just the room it turns into when people want to lose things would be burned."

"Only one way to find out," said Neville smiling as he and Luna began to pick their way through the mountains of debris surrounding them, both tripping a few times and relying on the other for support.

Eventually they reached the location of the Room of Requirement, both thinking that they needed somewhere to sleep, clean themselves up and just relax, when the door materialised, which in Neville's mind proved Luna's theory to be correct. However, Neville was still a little bit wary of everything at that moment so he made sure he opened the door before Luna and went in before her as well, just to make sure everything was all right. Luna simply walked straight inside the room, trusting that everything would be the way they needed it and was proved correct quickly. There were two big, soft double beds covered in plush, fluffy pillows and a stunning red duvet, which looked so comfortable that both Luna and Neville could have jumped into them right then and there. There were also two showers and two wardrobes, which on further investigation were filled with Neville and Luna's clothes and belongings. Neither Neville nor Luna had any idea how this had happened but they were not going to question it as they were just glad to have some familiar things around them that they could depend on.

"I think I'm going to go for a shower," announced Neville after a few minutes.

"Me too," said Luna "then bed I think."

"It pains me to leave you," said Neville sadly, pulling Luna closer to him and hugging her "I was so scared I was going to lose you earlier that any time spent away from you now feels like wasted time."

"I won't be long," said Luna, smiling and blushing as Neville tucked a lock of hair behind her ear "just focus on the fact we're coming back to each other; we've been through the hardest bit, any time apart isn't going to be haunted by the fear of death now."

Neville simply smiled as Luna's poetic words as he couldn't think of a way to respond to them. At the same time he hugged Luna close to him, happiness filling him as he felt her return the hug, and felt her giggle as he kissed the top of her head.

"I'll see you soon," Neville murmured against Luna's lips as he kissed her yet again, unable to get enough of her.

"I love you," said Luna, smiling against Neville's lips, as she deepened the kiss by standing on her tiptoes and wrapping her arms around Neville, before the young couples' tongues began dancing together and their hands became entwined in each other's hair.

"Luna," said Neville, slightly breathlessly "now I really don't want to leave you, but I'm afraid if I don't I won't be able to stop."

"I'll be here when you get back," whispered Luna, grinning "that's just a teaser, one day we won't have to stop."

"You're a cruel mistress," said Neville chuckling "but I want to take us slowly anyway, I want to do everything right."

"We will," said Luna, giving Neville one more chaste kiss before stepping away "for now though, shower."

Neville chuckled again as he watched Luna grab what looked like her pyjamas from the wardrobe with her name on it and walk into one of the bathrooms, wondering how he could ever have been so lucky to fall in love with her. Neville soon mirrored what Luna had done and went for a shower himself; the water providing a relaxing relief as the memories of the Battle came to the forefront of Neville's mind yet again. About twenty minutes later, Neville walked out of his bathroom, dressed in his pyjama bottoms and an old t-shirt, feeling more relaxed than he had done in a while, but still unable to escape the thoughts of the last few hours. Neville was not surprised to find Luna sat on one of the beds in her pyjamas; soft lilac in colour and simple in design, but in Neville's eyes they, and of course Luna, were still beautiful. Neville had to smile to himself when he noticed Luna was reading The Quibbler upside down whilst wearing her Spectrospecs; he knew reading the magazine reminded her of her father and helped her relax and be happy, so he was glad she had found some peace and tranquillity in the aftermath of the madness of the last few hours.

"Hey beautiful," said Neville, walking over to Luna and pulling her into his arms, as he voiced his last thoughts about her.

"Hey," said Luna, in a brighter voice than Neville had heard her use in a while as she kissed him gently on the lips "are you all right Neville?"

"I'm fine, why?" asked Neville, perplexed as Luna's voice had suddenly adopted a concerned tone.

"Your head," said Luna, as Neville continued to look puzzled "it's full of Wrackspurts, is anything bothering you."

Luna removed her Spectrospecs and regarded Neville closely, who met her gaze, amazed at her ability to tell, from a look, that there was something wrong, although Neville didn't know specifically what was bothering him yet. Luna again sensed Neville's unease and took his hand in hers and squeezed it, smiling at him as she did so, which instantly reminded him that everything was all right now.

"I think it's just all hit me at once," said Neville bashfully, feeling a bit silly all of a sudden "all the emotions, all the memories, everything."

"What's bothering you the most?" asked Luna kindly.

"Why me?" said Neville, suddenly voicing his biggest fear and question all at once "you're amazing, you could have anyone you want, why did you pick me?"

"I didn't pick you Neville," said Luna, honesty evident in her voice "I fell for you, we can't plan who we fall for and I fell for you, completely head over heels in love with you. You're funny, you were kind to me from the first time you met me, you've helped me overcome my fears, you are the most honest and down to earth person I've ever met, but yet you still dream, I can see you dream and I love that. You look after me, you make me feel safe and protected and loved, and just as an added bonus you're handsome as well; I fell for your personality first but you are genuinely good looking, trust me, do you know how many girls have a crush on you?"

"Seriously?" said Neville, slightly bewildered by Luna's comments.

"Yeah," said Luna, smiling "but I fell for you, all of you; you're beautiful inside and outside. Now can I ask you the same question, as you now know you could have any girl you want, why me?"

"I've loved you since I first saw you Luna," said Neville, smiling as Luna blushed "you came into my life like a whirlwind, one that I never wanted to be without. You're beautiful, funny, smart, you don't care what people think about you, you're never afraid to be yourself and you noticed me. I know it sounds silly, but when I felt invisible you made me feel happy, you made me feel like I actually meant something in this world and you always have, I was so low on confidence when I met you but you built up my belief in myself bit by bit and I just couldn't be without you. You light up a room you're so beautiful and I love that we can talk about anything, I just fell for you Luna, I could talk about it for ages but I'm afraid I would never stop."

Luna and Neville had not broken eye contact at all during their speeches to one another and without even having to think about it, Neville pulled Luna into his lap and kissed her resoundingly on the lips, a gesture which Luna happily returned.

"I love you," said Luna happily "please don't ever forget that."

"I love you too," said Neville "I don't want to sleep alone tonight, I just don't want to leave you, but I understand if you don't want to share a bed just yet."

"Don't leave me alone," said Luna, a touch of vulnerability in her voice again "please stay with me."

Neville nodded, hugging Luna close to him once again, never wanting to let her go. All of a sudden it was like the Room of Requirement had heard them, because the two beds started moving towards each other, making both Neville and Luna lose their balance and end up lying together on one of the beds as it moved, something which made them giggle together. Once the beds had stopped moving by themselves, the new couple sat up to find one giant bed for them both to sleep on together. Still chuckling to themselves Neville and Luna climbed into the bed after Neville had removed his t-shirt, and lay together with Luna's back against Neville's chest, their legs entwined and Neville's arms wrapped around Luna's small form, while Luna had a hold of his hands.

"Oh Luna I forgot to ask you," said Neville, feeling tiredness taking over him as he yawned "will you be my girlfriend?"

"Of course, silly!" said Luna, chuckling "you don't even need to ask; I love you."

"I love you too," said Neville, snuggling down into the covers with Luna, whom he felt relax and fall asleep within the next few minutes.

Neville lay awake for a little while longer, marvelling at the girl beside him as he held her sleeping form tightly in his arms, willing that he would always protect her from harm from now on. Slowly Neville felt sleep overcome him, as he was transported into a world where he dreamt of nothing but Luna, and he knew he would never sleep alone again.

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**So what did you think? Let me know and I'll update soon**

**Thanks for reading! See you next time**


	3. The Clean Up and Plans

**Hi everyone! I'm back, I'm so, so sorry it's took me so long to update, I've had a bit of writer's block, but I'm back and hopefully will be updating more often now. I also had a couple of ideas for one shots involving Neville/Luna that wouldn't go away until I'd written them so that explains the delay as well. Anyway I am really sorry, hope this chapter is enough of an apology.**

**I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does**

**Enjoy!**

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**~ CHAPTER THREE ~**

**THE CLEAN UP AND PLANS**

Neville Longbottom awoke to the sight of the dim sun coming through the windows to the Room of Requirement. Neville could see the window from where he was lying and was immediately confused when he saw the sun just rising from the horizon to above the trees; it mystified him how he and Luna had managed to sleep for the whole night and half of the previous day without waking up at all. At the thought of Luna, Neville glanced down at the young girl lying beside him in his arms and smiled when he saw how relaxed she looked at that precise moment in time. Luna was curled in a ball next to Neville, having obviously moved in her sleep, with her hands resting on his bare torso and a contented, peaceful smile on her face. Luna's long blonde curly hair cascaded down her back in waves and Neville simply couldn't resist running his hands gently through it, being careful not to wake Luna up as he did so.

As Neville waited for Luna to awaken, he simply lay next to her and watched her sleep, stunned by her beauty and amazed that she loved him as much as he loved her, astounded that she had chosen him when in his eyes she could have anyone she wanted as a boyfriend. Even at this early stage in their relationship, Neville knew, as he watched Luna, that he never wanted to be without her and also that he never wanted to spend a night alone again. The previous night and day, which had been shrouded by the shadow of the Battle and ever-present death, had been the longest day of Neville's life, as he had spent a substantial portion of it looking for Luna and being without her, which was, to Neville, the single worst thing in the world. All the previous day had done was simply confirm Neville's feelings for Luna and make him want to hold onto her forevermore.

"Hi Neville," said Luna's timid voice suddenly, making a relaxed Neville jump slightly "oh sorry I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't scare me," said Neville, smiling at Luna, who looked up at him with silvery orb-like eyes "morning Luna, how are you?"

"Feeling a lot better thanks," said Luna, giving Neville a small smile "best night's sleep I've had in months."

"Me too," said Neville, holding Luna closer to him "and now I don't want to move."

"We should really though," said Luna, slightly regretfully "we should help clean up."

"I know," said Neville "but I just want to stay here where it's quiet and where you are."

"Me too," said Luna, moving slightly so her head was resting on Neville's shoulder "I just want to go away and have some happiness for once; it feels like all we've had to deal with over the last year is darkness and fighting and loneliness."

"There won't be any more loneliness again," said Neville quietly, kissing Luna on the top of her head "no more darkness and no more fighting."

"I just feel like I've been permanently lonely when I haven't been with you," said Luna sadly, as she manoeuvred herself so she was lying on her stomach, facing Neville who propped himself up on the pillows ever so slightly.

"You can talk to me about anything," said Neville kindly, resting an arm over Luna's back "you know that don't you?"

"I know," said Luna, meeting Neville's eyes with her own "it's just difficult. Malfoy Manor was the worst; I've never felt more alone than when I was there, because I knew you didn't know where I was so I honestly didn't know if I would ever see you again. I thought about you all the time, wondering if you were all right and just focusing on our happy memories when I was tortured by Lucius Malfoy or Bellatrix Lestrange. It worked though, I survived and then Harry rescued me and I remember the first thing I thought once I'd been checked over by Bill and Fleur Weasley was that I had to get back to you, Harry told me not to come back here but I had no choice, you were here and we'd both been alone for a long time and I knew that if we were going to fight I had to see you again before it all began. I felt alone all the time, even when Harry, Ron and Hermione turned up, I just wanted you, and it was such a relief when I could get a message to you and when you sent one back. I don't know how I got back to Hogwarts, I honestly don't, I just remember walking through fields and forests, then I saw you and I was in your arms, then I finally felt safe. Listen to me I'm babbling."

"You're not," said Neville, who had listened intently to Luna "you're just telling me how you felt, I can't imagine how scared you must have been; if it was even half of how I felt, it was unbearable."

"You were scared?" asked Luna, bewildered.

"Of course I was," said Neville honestly, pulling Luna to him for a hug, which she gratefully accepted "I thought I would never see you again when you got dragged away, I tried to follow you, honestly I did, but they put a spell on the grounds meaning no one could leave them. I just remember losing all the fight that was in me when you weren't there, I used to sit up all night, hoping to hear from you and then I got your letter, it was only a few words I know, but you'll never know how happy it truly made me. I waited up every night after that as well, but now I wasn't sad, I was still worried, yeah, but I was happy you were all right. I just remember that night you walked into The Great Hall; I had to hug you, I didn't care about anyone else, I just had to be with you, and that's my thought process right now, I love you and I just want to be with you forever."

"I love you too," said Luna, still feeling slightly bashful.

"And I mean it about being with you forever," said Neville confidently, although paradoxically, he also felt a bit nervous all of a sudden "I should have said this yesterday, but when this is all over I will marry you and I'll also give you an official proposal."

"You want to marry me?" asked Luna, unable to keep the shock out of her voice "how can you tell after a day?"

"Yes I want to marry you," confirmed Neville, smiling as Luna beamed "I've always known I needed to be with you forever Luna, ever since I first met you I knew I couldn't be without you. I know this must seem a bit sudden to you but like I said, once all this is over I'll give you an official proposal with a ring and everything, I just figure it's best to be honest with you, especially given how close we both were to death not twenty four hours ago."

"I'd love to marry you," said Luna, grinning "I just wasn't expecting you to say all that given that twenty four hours ago we hadn't even kissed."

"Strange what near death experiences can do to you," said Neville "makes you realise what's important."

"I'd marry you tomorrow Neville," said Luna dreamily as she reached up and cupped Neville's face in her hands, bringing him closer to her for a kiss, which he gladly returned "but I kind of feel like we should wait at least until it all settles down."

"I know," said Neville smiling "the fact that you said you'd marry me is enough for me at the moment."

"I'd be proud to," said Luna happily, giggling as Neville pulled her into his lap and kissed her before she had even had time to breathe.

Neville wrapped his arms tightly around Luna whilst kissing her, and this time neither of the young couple hesitated in deepening the kiss, both burying their hands each other's hair and battling for dominance with their tongues; a battle which Neville ultimately won but which Luna didn't mind in the slightest. The pair kissed passionately for a while longer, exploring the shape of each other's bodies which their hands and also, simply deepening their love for each other in the process.

"Luna," murmured Neville after a while, against his girlfriend's slightly swollen lips "you're so, so beautiful, I could kiss you all day."

"I could kiss you all day too Neville," whispered Luna, in a slightly husky voice that Neville had never heard her use before "I adore you."

"There are so many more things I would love to do to you too," breathed Neville, planting a quick, chaste kiss on either side of her neck, earning a small gasp from Luna "but I want to make that special for you and do it when we're both ready, I don't think it would be right to do it now."

"I'll be ready soon," said Luna, looking into Neville's eyes "just not quite yet."

"I know," said Neville smiling warmly "I wasn't trying to pressure you at all; I don't think I'm totally ready yet, it's just that's something I would like to do in the future and I just wanted to know if you wanted it eventually too."

"I do," said Luna, her eyes brightening "I really do, I just want it to be romantic and lovely."

"It will be," said Neville smiling, kissing Luna once again "I adore you Luna, you're absolutely lovely."

"So are you," said Luna blushing slightly "and handsome and you're my hero."

Neville chuckled nervously at Luna's words, unsure exactly how to respond to them as he wasn't used to the positive attention she was giving him, much the same as he was sure she wasn't used to the kind of attention he was giving her as well. Neville simply hugged Luna, resting his head on her shoulder and breathing in her slightly cinnamon-scented perfume as he did so, at the same time as feeling Luna hug him back tightly. Both of the teenagers stayed like that for a while longer, just revelling in the peace and quiet they had been able to find, and also both reluctant to leave it, even though the War was now over.

"We should probably get dressed," said Luna after a while, her voice slightly muffled against Neville's shoulder.

"You're probably right," said Neville after a second or two more, as he pulled away regretfully, but not before planting a peck on Luna's lips, which she returned.

Both of the teenagers got out of the bed they had shared slowly and sadly before going to their respective wardrobes and grabbing some fresh clothes. After this they looked at each other and shared warm smiles full of love before walking into their respective bathrooms and taking showers and getting dressed. After about half an hour both of the teenagers walked out of the bathrooms, both freshly dressed as they greeted each other with hugs.

"Hi lovely," said Neville, watching as Luna blushed at the term of endearment he used for her.

"Neville," giggled Luna, still blushing "you make me blush."

"It's what I'm here for," said Neville, loving the effect he had had on Luna.

"What are we going to do today?" asked Luna, changing the subject, but still staying as close to Neville as she possibly could.

"Just go down there and see who needs help with what I suppose," said Neville, gently taking Luna's hand in his own.

"You won't leave me will you?" asked Luna, a slight tone of vulnerability and pleading in her voice "I don't want to be alone; I don't want to be without you."

"Of course I won't leave you," said Neville in a sympathetic voice, as he squeezed Luna's hands "we'll find something we can do together I promise."

"Thank you," whispered Luna "I hope you don't think I'm pathetic Neville."

"Of course I don't," said Neville gently "we've both been through a lot; I don't want to be alone either, so I know exactly how you feel. I love you Luna and I'm not going to let you go now after I've just found you."

With Luna suitably reassured, she and Neville left the Room of Requirement together, arm in arm as the early morning sun lit their path towards the Great Hall. Both of them picked their way through the debris which was still lying around, being careful not to trip and injure themselves again, and soon they were downstairs walking through the once shiny doors of the Great Hall, only to be greeted by a quiet scene, where they appeared to be two of only a few people who had appeared yet.

"Ah, Miss Lovegood, Mr. Longbottom," said the brisk voice of Professor McGonagall "how are you both this morning?"  
"Well rested thanks Professor," said Neville smiling "we're here to help in any way we can."

"Ah yes, thank you," said Professor McGonagall, a tone of appreciation in her voice as she wrote their names on a piece of parchment "first though I need to know, will you be returning to Hogwarts next year to complete your studies."  
"I will Professor," said Luna dreamily "I want to get my NEWTs."

"And you Mr. Longbottom?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"I didn't know I could come back," said Neville, shocked "I thought this was my last year."

"It should have been," confirmed Professor McGonagall "but we can't let your last year be defined by Death Eaters and a Battle, so we're allowing people who were in their seventh year to come back and do one more year to get their NEWTs."

"In that case then, yeah I'll come back," said Neville smiling "I want to pass Herbology if I pass nothing else."  
"About that Mr. Longbottom," said Professor McGonagall quietly "can I have a word?"

"Of course," said Neville politely, squeezing Luna's hand as she started to walk away; he wanted her there with him and she seemed to understand as she came back to put her arm around him "anything you want to say to me can be said in front of Luna."

"Well I have it on good intelligence that Professor Sprout is retiring at the end of this year," said Professor McGonagall, lowering her voice so as not to be overheard "don't tell any other students about this, she's only announced it to me at the moment because I'm Headmistress, but she's recommended you, Mr. Longbottom, to take over her place as Herbology teacher as long as you pass your NEWT in the subject with Exceeds Expectations or higher and just take a few extra classes from all of the Professors during your free periods on how to teach. Would you be interested?"

Neville gazed, shocked at Professor McGonagall for a second or two, unable to process what she had just said, unable to believe that she had just basically offered him a job if he wanted it. Neville looked from Professor McGonagall to Luna, who was watching him intently, a huge smile on her face; she knew it was his dream to work in the field of Herbology and she knew this was a job that he would really want. Neville and Luna locked eyes and Neville felt Luna squeeze his hand gently, which gave him the confidence he needed to respond to Professor McGonagall.

"Professor, I really don't know what to say to that, wow," said Neville, only just managing to find his voice, as he was still in shock "thank you, I…I'd be…I mean it would be an honour to follow in Professor Sprout's footsteps. I'm very interested, trust me."

"Good," said Professor McGonagall, smiling "I thought you would be, you'll be well suited to it Longbottom, I'll go and break the good news to Pomona."

"What do you want us to do, Professor?" asked Luna, speaking for Neville, who was still in shock.

"Ah yes," said Professor McGonagall "if you could go to the Library start putting the books back into order for now and fixing any that need it, I'll send some help over for you later; anything else you need?"  
"Professor I was wondering if Luna could have access to the Gryffindor Tower?" asked Neville, feeling quite bold "it's just we don't really want to be separated, it's all right if it's not possible, we just wondered considering the fact there's only a few days of term actually left."

"That should be fine," said Professor McGonagall, a small smile gracing her features as Neville and Luna beamed "you've both been pivotal to the war effort, you deserve to be able to spend time together, and we'll see if we can get something more permanent put in place for the two of you next year."

"Thank you Professor!" chorused Neville and Luna excitedly.

"Come and see me a bit later and I'll tell you if I managed to get it sorted," said Professor McGonagall, smiling, before turning and walking away, leaving Neville and Luna alone, who walked to the library together in a shocked but comfortable silence.

Once they got to the Library, Luna and Neville were greeted by a scene which Hermione Granger would have described as apocalyptic; books were strewn everywhere, torn and tattered with pages ripped and covers and binding cracked. Both of the teenagers were not shocked by what they saw, but Luna was worried about Neville, he had been very quiet since Professor McGonagall had all but offered him a job as Herbology Professor and she wondered if he was simply over thinking everything too much. Neville seemed to be in a daze to Luna as he sat down on a stray chair and just looked into space.

"Neville," said Luna, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around him "I can see those Wrackspurts and Nargles again, what's bothering you?"

"I can't believe it, she just offered me a job like that," said Neville in a shocked voice, gazing at Luna, his eyes slightly glassy "what if I don't pass my exams Luna, what if I'm not good enough?"

"You will pass your exams," said Luna in a soothing voice, running her thumb over Neville's cheek, trying to relax him "you're brilliant at Herbology, everyone knows it and you will be good enough as well; you heard McGonagall they're going to teach you how to plan lessons and stuff, you'll be fantastic, I know it."

"You really think so?" asked Neville, looking up at Luna adoringly "I'm just so nervous."

"I know," said Luna kindly "but I know you'll be brilliant."

"Thanks Luna," said Neville, finally managing a smile "I'm going to take it."

"It's the right decision," said Luna, beaming hugely "congratulations, Professor Longbottom!"

"Thanks, lovely," said Neville, who visibly relaxed, hugging Luna tightly before kissing her gently.

"Any time," said Luna smiling, as she kissed Neville happily "we better get started hadn't we?"

Neville nodded and together he and Luna stood up and began to get started on sorting out the mountain of books surrounding them. The work started off slowly at first, with Neville still worrying about whether he was making the right decision in accepting the post of Herbology Professor. However, soon Luna was talking, at first to herself about anything and everything, and eventually Neville joined in, feeling more at ease than he had done since he had woken up. Soon Neville and Luna were working together happily, chatting, laughing, flirting and also more often than not, taking a break or getting distracted and escaping to a corner and kissing each other passionately, something which they both could not get enough of.

"I love you Luna," said Neville breathlessly, following their most recent passionate kiss.

"I love you too Neville," breathed Luna, her hair falling out of its plait slightly, following Neville running his hands through it.

"We should get back to work," said Neville, running his hands through his own slightly mussed hair, before stealing another kiss, something that Luna wasn't expected, but something which she gladly reciprocated.

"We should," said Luna smiling mischievously, an expression Neville had never seen her use before "but I'd much rather stay here and do this."

"So would I," said Neville, resting his hands on Luna's hips "but we'll make it fun like we have been doing; the time has flown by hasn't it and soon we'll go and see McGonagall and see if she's managed to sort everything out."

To Neville's delight this made Luna smile and soon the young couple were working together once again, laughing and joking and not hesitating to steal a kiss whenever they could. Neville and Luna never left each other's sides during their time cleaning up the Library, and this was the main reason they enjoyed working so much, because they were together and because they were able to forget about the bad memories that had took over their lives recently, even if this was only for a while. A short while later, Neville was helping Luna to put some books back onto the shelves by standing behind her and holding her steady and passing her the individual books while Luna placed them on the shelves in order. As they were doing this Neville noticed Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione enter the Library, all of them looking slightly dishevelled, despite having had a night to recover. At the noise they made when they entered the Library, Luna turned around from her position on the steps which led up to the shelf she was placing books on and smiled hugely.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny!" she said brightly, allowing Neville to lift her down from the steps with his big strong arms, making her feel safe in the process.

"Hey Luna, Neville," said Harry smiling as he shook Neville's hand and hugged Luna briefly before she returned to Neville's arms "how are you two doing?"

"We're all right," said Neville "just trying to find a bit of normality after all the craziness at the moment."

"We're sorry to hear about Fred by the way, Ron, Ginny," said Luna in a solemn voice, addressing each of the Weasley siblings in turn "I can see the Wrackspurts in your brains already, if you need to talk you can always come to me."

Neville kissed Luna on the top of the head, amazed by how kind and considerate she was in any situation and how she always seemed to know what to say as well. As if confirming what Neville was thinking, Ginny managed a small smile, obviously appreciating what Luna had said. However Neville was very surprised to see an angry expression on Ron's face, which he noticed Luna had not registered yet, but which made him quite concerned at the same time.

"No we will not be coming to you to talk," spat Ron all of a sudden, much to everyone's shock "what do you know about the real world and grief?"

"You don't have to come to me, it was just an offer," said Luna, who was struggling to keep the hurt out of her voice.

"Well we don't need you!" said Ron, his voice rapidly rising to a shout as he stepped forward towards Luna, who moved closer to Neville immediately "you know nothing about grief or the real world, you live in your own fantasy world with your stupid Nargles, how would you ever be able to help us with real problems?"

"Ron calm down," said Hermione gently "come on, let's go and take a walk."

"She knows nothing of real world problems," said Ron angrily, stepping forward again, causing Luna to stumble back slightly "I don't need her help!"

"Luna didn't mean anything by it Ron," said Neville in a strong voice "she simply offered to be there if you ever needed her, doesn't mean you have to take her up on the offer, but I don't appreciate you shouting at her like you just have."

"She knows nothing about grief though!" raged Ron, stepping forward again in a threatening way "she's never lost anyone; I have!"

"Back off Ron," said Neville, taking a step forward to match Ron's "I appreciate you're grieving and that's why I'm not getting angry with you, but you're scaring my girlfriend and I can't have that, and just in case you didn't know, Luna lost her Mum in the past, I've lost both my parents, we know a fair bit about grief as well. All Luna did was be nice, there's no need to talk to her in the way you have."

"What do you know about anything anyway?" Ron shouted again "you haven't been fighting for the last year, you haven't been fighting this war since you were eleven."

"Ron come on," said Harry, trying to steer an increasingly agitated Ron away from Neville and Luna "you don't want to be having this discussion; you wouldn't be saying all this if you weren't grieving, let's leave Neville and Luna in peace."

"No Harry, I want to hear what they think they know," seethed Ron.

"I know you're hurting Ron," said Luna in a timid voice "I know you don't mean what you're saying and I know you'll regret it when you've had some time to calm down. I don't blame you for being angry and I don't blame you for taking it out on us, I just hope you understand eventually that I only want to help and I wouldn't be offended if you didn't want to talk to me, as long as you know the offer is always there. I'm sorry if I upset you."

"You don't need to apologise Luna," said Neville and Harry simultaneously.

"No it's all right," said Luna, although Neville noted she did still look a bit sad "can we go and find something else to do now Neville?"

"Yeah," said Neville "let's go and take a break, see you later guys."

There was a chorus of small goodbyes from Hermione and Ginny as Luna and Neville exited the Library together, arm in arm, only to find they were followed by Harry, who gave them both an apologetic look before stopping them both in their tracks before they could walk away.

"Listen you two, I'm sorry about Ron," said Harry "I really am, he's just grieving, he doesn't know what he's saying really, according to Hermione he had a really rough time relaxing after yesterday, so don't read too much into it."

"We know," said Neville "that's why I didn't argue back too much, I hope you understand Luna meant well."

"We all do," said Harry smiling warmly at them both "thanks Luna, thanks Neville."

With that Harry left Neville and Luna, returning back to the Library with Ginny, Hermione and Ron, leaving Neville and Luna to slowly make their way back to the Great Hall. Neville sensed that Luna was still a little bit upset and shaken up by what had happen with Ron; she hated confrontation he knew that, so he decided to take a detour and instead of going back to the Great Hall, Neville went into an empty classroom with Luna following him in a daze.

"Are you all right beautiful?" asked Neville kindly, as he and Luna sat on the floor.

"I just don't like confrontation," said Luna sadly "I didn't mean to upset him."

"I know," said Neville sympathetically, pulling Luna to him for a hug "and Ron knows as well, he's just grieving and he took it out on you because you were the first person he saw that was nice to him."

"I think we're all just over emotional aren't we?" said Luna, nuzzling into Neville's shoulder for comfort.

"Yeah," said Neville sadly "he'll come round eventually."

"Can we just make plans for what we're going to do over the summer?" said Luna sadly "I just want to think of something that I can look forward to."

"I'd love to take you to meet my parents," said Neville, looking down slightly nervously "if you want to that is, I mean you know where they are and the situation they're in."

"I'd really like to meet your parents Neville, they sound like amazing and lovely people," said Luna smiling, which made Neville feel at ease "I'd like you to meet my Dad and then I just want to go on adventures together, I just want to spend as much time with you as possible, I don't ever want to sleep alone again, just promise me if we do nothing else this summer, we'll be together, I really don't think I'm strong enough to be on my own now Neville."

"You are," said Neville "you're the strongest person I know, but I promise we'll be together as much as we possibly can; I love you Luna, I'm not going to leave you."

"Thank you," said Luna smiling "I love you too. Shall we go and see if Professor McGonagall managed to get me access to the Gryffindor Tower?"

"I hope she has managed it," said Neville, as he stood up before helping Luna stand up from her position on the floor and grasping her hand "but if she hasn't we'll just stay in the Room of Requirement."

"That sounds good," said Luna, her voice brightening.

Together Neville and Luna walked out of the empty classroom hand in hand, both lost in their thoughts of each other and happy that they were able to spend the aftermath of such a terrible event comforting each other and making their own happy memories. They made their way slowly through the debris which still littered the corridors of Hogwarts until they came to the Great Hall, to find it slowly being restored to its former glory by Professors Flitwick, Sprout, McGonagall and Sinistra. The simple fact that the Great Hall was being fixed was enough to make Neville and Luna incredibly happy as they finally began to realise that, while fixing Hogwarts would take time, the War was finally over and they could be happy together forever.

As Neville and Luna walked into the Great Hall they were spotted by Professor McGonagall, who quickly gestured to them, unable to break her concentration on the complex charms she was conjuring, and then pointed at a small buffet of food which was nestled in one corner of the Great Hall. Neville and Luna grinned at each other and ran over to the food together, both suddenly remembering that they had not eaten anything for at least twenty four hours.

"Oh!" exclaimed Luna suddenly as she and Neville reached the table of food "there's pudding! I was hoping for pudding!"

Despite his best efforts Neville could not stop himself from laughing at Luna's comments as she dug her knife into the enormous chocolate fudge cake situated on the table, cutting a humongous piece for herself, before piling whipped cream on it and beaming hugely. Luna noticed Neville looking at her with a bemused expression on his face and she couldn't help but giggle as she walked over to one of the cushions that had been placed on the floor.

"What?" she said, still giggling "I like pudding, it makes me happy and if there's ever a time to not feel guilty about having extra pudding, it's now."

"Can't fault that logic," said Neville simply, cutting his own slice of chocolate fudge cake and joining Luna on the floor.

Luna and Neville sat together in silence eating their chocolate fudge cake for a little while; Luna still smiling to herself and Neville watching her with a bemused and bewildered expression on his face, especially as she got some whipped cream on her nose and seemed unaware of it, so carried on eating.

"Luna," said Neville smiling as he leant towards her "come here, you have some cream on your nose."

"I do?" asked Luna, grinning mischievously, something which confused Neville, until Luna reached forward and smeared cream on his nose too "there, now I don't feel so ridiculous."

Again Neville couldn't stop himself from laughing as Luna watched him, an innocent expression, but a coy smile plastered on her face. Luna's expression only fuelled Neville's laughs as he grinned devilishly and grabbed one of the two bowls of whipped cream from the table, smiling as he watched Luna's expression change to one of sheer glee.

"Oh, you don't know what you just started Miss Lovegood," said Neville, a playful smirk gracing his features as Luna grabbed the other bowl of cream, laughing as she did so.

Soon Neville and Luna were both stood up and running around the slightly secluded corner of the Great Hall where they had been sat previously. Luna had been first to make a move in the ensuing food fight, throwing cream at Neville, hitting him in the face. Neville had of course retaliated and soon both teenagers were smothered in sweet, sticky whipped cream, laughing uproariously, only stopping because they had run out of their weapons of choice. Once they had called their forced truce, Neville walked up to Luna, still chuckling and simply brought her close to him, kissing her passionately, tasting the chocolate fudge cake and cream on her lips and tongue as he ran his hand through her hair, resting his other hand on her hips.

"I love you," whispered Luna once they had broken apart "thank you for making me laugh."

"I love you too," murmured Neville, quickly waving his wand, making the cream that was covering them both disappear quickly "that was so much fun."

"It was," said Luna smiling hugely "it was nice to laugh."

Luna and Neville smiled at each other before slowly walking over to Professor McGonagall, who greeted them with warm smiles, something which was quite out of character for the usually stern Professor. Neville kept his arm around Luna the whole time and again, he was shocked to see Professor McGonagall smile at this.

"I managed to get you access to the Gryffindor Tower Miss Lovegood," said Professor McGonagall in a brisk voice "and Mr. Longbottom you have access to the Ravenclaw Tower as well. You have your own room as well; we thought you both deserved a reward for everything you've done for Hogwarts, but please do just try to keep it quiet."

"We will Professor," said Neville who was beaming "thank you so much!"

"You're welcome," said Professor McGonagall "your room in each Common Room is up on the very top floor of student accommodation; we've allocated a key to both of you for the rooms which are here so only you can get access, and anyone else you want. Your things have been duplicated and already taken up to both rooms for you."

Luna and Neville beamed happily at each other as they took their keys from Professor McGonagall before practically sprinting out of the Great Hall together. Once they were out of the Great Hall Neville and Luna decided to go to the Gryffindor Tower first of all and did not hesitate, running up the stairs together, racing each other, just happy to have found some peace, tranquillity and bliss in the aftermath of the War.

* * *

**So what did you think? Please review, I really appreciate it!**

**Hopefully I'll see you soon, with either an update to this story or another one shot!**


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